There exists a clear need for research on techniques of reducing aggression in an interactive setting. Pilot research by the authors reconceptualized aggression reduction strategies in terms of a counteraggression/aggression (cA/A) ratio. Findings unambiguously showed lower cA/A ratios to be more effective for reducing aggression and suggested the most effective strategy to be one of minimal retaliation. The authors propose three studies to examine factors felt to most strongly affect different cA/A ratios in day-to-day aggressive interactions. Experiment I will measure subjects' initial predisposition to aggression (low or high) and experimentally manipulate intensity of competitiveness (low or high). Experiment II will assign subjects to have more, equal, or less access to aggressive resources than does their opponent. In Experiment III, the subject will either be using the same mode of aggression as his opponent (both using auditory or both using monetary aggression) or a different mode of aggression as his opponent (subject using auditory and opponent using monetary aggression vs. vice versa). Results are expected to provide basic data necessary for constructing a general theory of aggression reduction.